Established in 1951, award is named in honor of John Pearce, former regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and recognizes outstanding professional accomplishments in wildlife conservation in the Northeast.

Since arriving at Westfield State in 2012, the Worthington resident has created new field-based classes in natural history and field techniques; natural resources conservation; and wildlife conservation and management.

“I was surprised and really honored,” to receive the award, McDonald said. “I’ve served on award committees before ... and appreciate the time it takes to put together a nomination. I’m really gratified to imagine someone thought that highly of me.”

Teaching at Westfield State gives him a chance to pass knowledge gained from two decades of field work on to students, McDonald said.

The school’s “location and ability to access a wide variety of field sites in just a short drive or walk from campus allows me to do a lot of hands-on, or boots-on, labs with my courses,” he said.

For McDonald, winning the John Pearce award, said Michael Vorwerk, chair of Westfield State’s environmental science department, is well-deserved.

“John McDonald is one of the preeminent wildlife biologists in the Northeast. He is a gifted educator who infuses his classes with his passion for wildlife and we are very fortunate to have him in the environmental science department sharing his experience and knowledge,” he said.

McDonald was also a Bullard Fellow in forest conservation at Harvard Forest, worked for the state Department of Environmental Protection, was a wildlife ecologist and adjunct professor at Southern Illinois University and worked as leader of the deer and moose project for the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

He currently serves as the regional representative to the Wildlife Society’s governing council.

Previously, McDonald worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for nine years where he administered over $30 million in grants each year for state fish and wild life agencies.